Frosh Win Is $67, Tweet Score is $13 At Northfield; Control The Moment ‘Pace’ Pick Wins, Favorites Fly For Fans

On Twitter last Wednesday, July 13, we offered three spot plays at Northfield. We took one of those races with Twin B Spy ($13.60, $4.80, $2.80). We were ninth with Threesocksngo (19-1) and our other choice, Sirkuler (10-1) broke and was eliminated.

On various Wednesday nights we tweet for TwinSpires Twitter members from @FrankCotolo –retweeted by @twinspires—and the raceway involved. Losers from each week will appear on the next week’s horses-to-watch (H2W) list unless they race before that blog is published, so watch for them returning to the races on days in between blogs. Watch for special tweets from raceways on various Wednesdays.
 
The weekend features were concentrated on the Meadowlands Pace program at the Meadowlands, July 16. Freshmen starred in the chosen features for the green divisions at various tracks from July 11 through the Yonkers’ stakes event on July 16, The L.B. Sheppard Pace.

From the freshmen came the big winner of the week. On July 12 at Northfield, we scored with Mythology ($67.60, $26.00, $17.60). On that program we had one winner, a big favorite, Always A Good Time ($2.10, $2.10, $2.10 ok), while we were second with Stormy Kromer ($7.20, $3.40) and eighth with a breaker, Magic Vacation (10-1), and sixth with Dark Ruler (88-1).

Our other frosh choices, from our special report in last week’s Monday update and others added in the July 14 blog were as follows.

From Northfield, the winners were Pace Car ($3.40, $2.20, $2.20 ok) and Drunk On Your Love ($2.10. $2.10, $2.10 ok). Third were Barley Up ($2.10) and Uncle Dick ($3.80). Out of the money were Official Delight (7-1) and McGold (9-1).

From the Meadows, a winner was Affair Of Honor ($4.20, $2.10, $2.20). A second was Drawing Dragons ($2.60, $2.10). Off the board were WF Bella (15-1), Thisguyisonfire (3-1) and Arctic Clipper (9-1).

At Vernon there was one choice, a winner: Manssive ($5.20, $2.90, $2.70).

Hoosier produced a winner, Carols Z Tam ($3.00, $2.60, $2.10), a second, Speed For All ($4.40, $3.00), and off the board were Bust The Lane (33-1) and Ballerina Rosa (113-1).

At Yonkers, we won the L.B. Sheppard with Summer Side ($4.30, $2.80, $4.30 ok).

The Meadowlands Pace winner was our choice, winning with all the strength we discussed. Control The Moment ($3.40, $2.20, $2.10) beat Racing Hill, who finished second. Our triple companions, Lyons Snyder and Boston Red Rocks were both off the board.

Favorites continued to dominate the program. We had one more winner the public wound up supporting in the Mistletoe Shalee with Blue Moon Stride ($3.60, $2.80, $2.10) and picked up the third in that race with Shezarealdeal ($7.20).

Always B Miki won the “Haughton,” as expected, and our wild shot, Americanprimetime finished sixth at 180-1.

In the Hambletonian Maturity we inflated the exacta as the big public choice, Hannelore Hanover, won and we followed with Wings Of Royalty ($6.40, $4.60). The team produced a $36.40 exacta.

Lady Shadow, another super favorite, won. She conducted the Golden Girls field with scorching fractions, while our outside contender, Divine Caroline, was off the board.
 
HAMBLETONIAN TRAIL

At the Meadowlands July 16 we were third in the Del Miller splits for the fillies. We had Miss Tezla ($2.20) and Celebrity Eventsy ($2.20), those show prices were slaughtered by the favorite winners and the first division’s dead-heat win with a 6-1 shot.

In the Stanley Dancer splits for the colts, we were fifth with Hollywood Highway (95-1) and second with Sutton ($7.60, n/s). Southwind Frank, the prohibitive favorite, won that division.

We won the second division with the colt winding up the favorite, Marion Maurader ($4.00, $3.00, $2.40).

H2W LIST RESULTS

The H2W results list across-the-board prices. Also, exactas listed are included when a H2W horse finishes second with a race favorite or the first two finishers making up the exacta are H2W horses (an asterisk appears when both horses were listed to complete a cold exacta). The note “ok” determines that prices published are correct even when a show price exceeds a place price or any or all of the prices are the same. This week, there were 68 active horses (a 13-percent win hit rate and a 34-percent in-the-money hit rate).

Please note that some H2W results reflect win, place, show and exotic results occurring by press time but some horses race after the blog is posted (we list them the following week) It is up to you to follow horses that have not performed before this weekly review is posted.

Winners

Shark Festival, $8.80, $3.90, $3.60, Century
Candy’s A Virgin, $6.80, $3.80, $3.40, Scioto
Urban Renewal, $7.60, $5.40, $2.40, Scioto
No Matter When, $3.60, $3.10, $2.50, Mohawk
Jasmine K, $2.80, $2.80, $2.40 ok, Scarborough
Sweet Ashley T, $2.80, $2.20, $2.10, Vernon
I’m Saving Myself, $2.60, $3.60, $2.40 ok, Scarborough
Al-mar Reba Babe, $2.40, $2.20, Running Aces
PH Supercam, $2.20, $2.10, $2.10 ok, Yonkers

Seconds

Soul Diva, $11.60, $4.70, Century
La Diva De Rosa, $7.20, $4.80 (Exacta $34.40), Running Aces
Keystone Sapphire, $5.40, $4.30, Tioga
Our Jerry Lee N, $3.60, $3.00, Meadowlands
K Ryan Bluechip, $3.20, $2.80 (Exacta $8.40), Scioto
Awestreos, $2.80, $2.10 (Exacta $6.00), Northfield
Tricks Of Terror, $2.60, $2.40 (Exacta $6.20), Monticello
Take On Da Boys, $2.50, $3.00 ok, Century

Thirds

Must Be Paige, $13.00, Century
Pembroke Baroness, $3.80, Plainridge
Tarport Andy, $2.80, Vernon
Tree Wood, $2.30, Monticello
Bougie Queen $2.20, Ocean
Letherriptaterchp, $2.10, Saratoga

News & Notes

Running Aces, Minnesota’s harness raceway, in partnership with the USTA’s Strategic Wagering Program and Minnesota Harness Racing Inc., has set a $5,000 guarantee for its late Pick-4 pools on Tuesday nights, beginning July 19. The Running Aces late Pick-4 wager is comprised of the last four races of the evening and is offered as a 50-cent base wager with a 50-cent minimum. The first race every Tuesday night is 7 p.m., Central Time.

The 2016 Batavia Downs season will include a new feature this July called the Claiming Championship Series. The point-based competition will be broken down by gait and claiming price and the accrual of points will be on a monthly basis. Divisions will include $4,000, $5,000-$6,000 and $8,000-$10,000 claimers on the pace and $4,000-$5,000 and $7,500-$10,000 claimers on the trot. Points will be awarded to the top-five finishers of each race. The top eight horses from each class category making the final will be comprised of the top three point earners that will advance to the Claiming Championship Finals on Nov.12. Once a new month starts, all the points earned will revert back to zero (with the exception of July, which will carry over into August). The $4,000 and $4,000-$5,000 categories will compete for $15,000 in the final and all other categories will vie for $20,000.

The plans for another harness raceway in Pennslyvania have been thwarted. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board rejected all plans for a gambling facility in the western part of the state. The seven-member board voted unanimously to abandon the application for Lawrence Downs Casino and Racing Resort in Mahoning Township outside New Castle in Lawrence County. Endeka Entertainment proposed the state's only one-mile harness racing track and a full casino, proposing it would create as many as 600 jobs. Several board members were concerned that the track and casino would be built for a budget of $205 million, which Endeka said included the licensing fee and construction costs. Mahoning Township has already spent $10 million on a water plant and other development for the property. Commission Chairman Vito Yeropoli said the township is struggling to repay the debt.

Extraordinary Extras

Indulge in many standardbred topics at my Hoof Beats blog titled Vast Performances.

Ray Cotolo contributed to this blog

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